(1) Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to voltage non-linear type resistors composed mainly of zinc oxide. More particularly, the invention relates to voltage non-linear type resistors to be used in overvoltage-protecting devices such as lightning arrestors.
(2) Related Art Statement:
Since the voltage non-linear type resistors composed mainly of zinc oxide have excellent non-linear voltage-current characteristics, they are widely used in lightning arrestors or surge absorbers to stabilize the voltage or to absorb surges. The voltage non-linear type resistor is produced by adding and mixing a small amount of an oxide or oxides of bismuth, antimony, cobalt and/or manganese into zinc oxide as the main component, granulating and shaping the mixture, firing the shaped body, and attaching electrodes to the sintered body.
The sintered body is composed of zinc oxide and intergranular layers formed from particles of the additives. It is considered that the excellent non-linear voltage current characteristic is attributable to interfaces between the grains of zinc oxide and the intergranular layers. The breakdown voltage of the voltage non-linear type resistor depends upon the intergranular layers existing between the electrodes. Thus, when considered with respect to the unit thickness, the breakdown voltage is dependent upon the size of grains of zinc oxide constituting the sintered body. The breakdown voltage is a voltage occurring in the voltage non-linear type resistor when a given electric current passes therethrough. The breakdown voltage is ordinarily considered per unit thickness (1 mm) with respect to an electric current of 1 mA/cm.sup.2.
In order to increase the breakdown voltage of the voltage non-linear resistor, only the growth of the grains of zinc oxide constituting the sintered body need be controlled. In order to control the grain growth, for example, there has been conventionally employed a process for decreasing a sintering temperature, or a process for incorporating a grain growth controlling agent such as silicon oxide into the resistor.
However, the sintering temperature-decreasing process has problems in that the additive assisting the sintering through the formation of a liquid phase is not sufficiently dispersed into the surrounding, and thus, densification does not occur during the sintering. Further, and that since other additives are not dispersed well, the resistor will not exhibit excellent non-linear voltage-current characteristics. For this reason, the breakdown voltage attainable in this process is practically about 300 V/mm at a maximum.
On the other hand, for instance, Japanese patent publication Nos. 55-13,124 and 59-12,001 disclose a silicon oxide-incorporating process. In this process, a far greater amount of silicon oxide is contained in the resistor as compared with that of elements ordinarily produced Although silicon oxide precipitates in the grain boundaries as zinc silicate and controls the grain growth, it interrupts flow of electric current, because the silicate is an extremely electrically insulating material Therefore, if the content of silicon oxide is great, an amount of the silicate precipitated in the grain boundaries increases Consequently, the electric current distribution is disturbed, and becomes non-uniform. Further, since the voltage non-linear resistor has a negative temperature coefficient of resistance, local concentration of electric current is likely to occur when the electric current distribution is disturbed and non-uniform. That is, if electric current is concentrated at a certain location, the resistance decreases there owing to greater temperature rise with Joule heat as compared with the other location. In this case, the concentration of the electric current further becomes more conspicuous, and an actual area of the flow passage effective for the electric current decreases. As a result, the electric current flows through a part of the voltage non-linear type resistor. Due to this, such a resistor cannot be applied to lightning arrestors which require the suppression of great surges of electric current.